17th MoFo Hall of Fame

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I've never seen or heard of Ghostwatch and literally did a double take when I seen Michael Parkinson on the poster.

So that's next.





Rush (2013)
Directed By: Ron Howard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde

Rush is the kind of film that you can enjoy even if you're not a fan of racing. The races are important set pieces of course, but the focus is more on the lives of Hunt and Lauda, and how they grow over the course of the film. They come from different backgrounds, and have vastly different approaches to life and racing, which cause them to clash on and off the track. My favourite scene doesn't even involve any vehicles, but rather Hunt and Lauda's snide comments to each other while they try to converse in the middle of signing autographs.

Since so much of the story revolves around Hunt and Lauda's competitive relationship, the weight of the film falls on the performances of Hemsworth and Brühl. Fortunately they were both perfect fits for their characters, and a pleasure to watch. Since I know Daniel Brühl's typical mannerisms and how he speaks in German and in English from his other films and interviews, I was particularly impressed by his transformation into Niki Lauda. It felt a bit awkward at first since I was expecting him to be more like himself, but I got used to it eventually. The costuming and make-up departments did a great job, since the false teeth Brühl used, and of course the various prosthetics applied later on, all looked seamless.

I don't really have much else to say about Rush, since racing and biographies are not exactly my area of expertise. While I know next to nothing about cars, and don't particularly find motor sports that interesting, I did go to a few races at a local track when I was younger. That was more out of obligation though. Targa passed by my parents' house one year as well, and that event wasn't nearly as exciting as everyone was hyping it up to be. I just don't find racing or even the dramatic, high octane car chases found in films to be that engaging. So it's definitely a credit to Rush when I say that I enjoyed it, and found the whole thing to be quite compelling.


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I just don't find racing or even the dramatic, high octane car chases found in films to be that engaging. So it's definitely a credit to Rush when I say that I enjoyed it, and found the whole thing to be quite compelling.
That's how I felt about it, too. I initially saw it in the theater because my mom - who is big on Nascar but doesn't watch Formula 1 - wanted to see it. I expected to be bored because I don't care about car racing at all, but I absolutely loved it. I definitely think it was a good decision to focus on the two men as people rather than focusing on the cars and the actual competition.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I think Ed quoted that part of your review, and Hashtag referenced having seen people comparing the style to Anderson's (though he might have just meant you + Ed's quote). So technically it has been mentioned by multiple people.

Or maybe you're a collective, and don't realize it? haha
well, she is our President and therefore speaks for the masses. . . or maybe it's AT the masses? lol

I didn't comment on the Anderson reference in my review but did compliment Hashtag's feelings between the two.
And I've seen that kind of snowballing effect previously in other HoF.

That and you're just so godd@mn quotable, @Miss Vicky
__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
~Mr Minio



Women will be your undoing, Pépé


Rush (2013)
Directed By: Ron Howard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde

I don't really have much else to say about Rush, since racing and biographies are not exactly my area of expertise. While I know next to nothing about cars, and don't particularly find motor sports that interesting, I did go to a few races at a local track when I was younger. That was more out of obligation though. Targa passed by my parents' house one year as well, and that event wasn't nearly as exciting as everyone was hyping it up to be. I just don't find racing or even the dramatic, high octane car chases found in films to be that engaging. So it's definitely a credit to Rush when I say that I enjoyed it, and found the whole thing to be quite compelling.


That's how I felt about it, too. I initially saw it in the theater because my mom - who is big on Nascar but doesn't watch Formula 1 - wanted to see it. I expected to be bored because I don't care about car racing at all, but I absolutely loved it. I definitely think it was a good decision to focus on the two men as people rather than focusing on the cars and the actual competition.
Totally agree. That's one of the things I enjoy about Ron Howard as a Director. His storytelling and bringing a lot of the focus on the characters themselves. And he does it without overdoing it and forgetting about the story and situations therein.
Watched this film this weekend and really enjoyed it and will posting my review in the next day or so.

And I didn't following racing very much when I was young and I was a kid around the time this movie was set and did recognize a few of the names of drivers from a sports show that used to show on ABC TV called Wide World of Sports back then.
I think the only time I got into racing was when they had Grand Prix races set on the actual streets of downtown Detroit back in the 80s. Eventually moving them to Belle Isle out on the Detroit River near the Canadian border for Windsor, a few miles east of the original location in downtown. And it was more about them being on the streets instead of a racetrack that I really enjoyed for some odd reason.



I just have The Aviator left, which is a rewatch. It's a fairly long movie, so I'll probably wait to watch it until I have a day off - so Wednesday at the earliest.

One of the two people who hadn't checked in for 9 days posted today so that just leaves @neiba needing to check in. I'll PM him tomorrow evening if he hasn't stopped by in the meantime.




RUSH (2013)

Even though I never watch auto racing on TV, I do like movies about racing. I've seen a number of them too. In fact, I've even considered an auto racing movie for an HoF.

But as much as I liked the subject matter and the personal stories of the two very different Formula 1 drivers, I didn't like what Ron Howard did to the movie. it felt like a 2 hour long movie trailer.

I'm sure some people like movies that seem like a trailer and by that I mean the scenes felt abbreviated, we seen many snippets of different events, but never does the film really delve deeply into it's subject matter. Everything seems to be glossed over and done on surface level. Maybe it gets more involved towards the end of the movie and that's when I liked it better...But mostly it felt like a quick edit, movie trailer that shows us sneak previews of the high-lights.

I especially disliked the scenes with rock/pop music playing over them, that gives a feeling of watching a TV commercial (or trailer) and made me feel like I wasn't in the actual moment. I'm sure that style of film making was what Ron Howard was trying for...A lot of entertainment movies are made like this.

I think that poster image says it all...you can often judge a film's demeanor by it's poster. Still, I am glad to have watched this.
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2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ
Incendies



This was only my second Villenueve film after loving Arrival. You can tell Denis isn't a one trick pony even after only seeing two films. After seeing this I love how he uses sight and sound to draw his audience into his stories. This film had many scenes which just looked astounding. The overlooks of the cities were gorgeous and scenes such as the one I have pictured looked simply sensational. I thought the acting was really good. We hear a lot about the mothers performance which indeed was great but I think my favorite performance was Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin as Jeanne. She commanded the screen every scene she was in. I love how the story seemed to unravel itself, never giving away too much at once yet keeping the viewer glued in. The end result of them finding their brother and father at the same time so to speak was maybe a bit far-fetched but it really didn't ruin anything for me. Overall, I thought the pacing and the style that the story was told were very efficient and in the end made a positive impression for me. Very good nom by Cosmic.




Incendies



...and scenes such as the one I have pictured looked simply sensational.
That scene surely looked nice. So nice that almost everyone of us, including me, decided to use an image from that scene on our reviews



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
my initial curiosity for Incendies keeps growing with every review I read.
I would say I'm seriously consider it for my next film, (I'm halfway through The Aviator right now) but then that always seems to negate such statements every single time. But, still, looking forward, as I normally do with a nom from Cosmic.



That scene surely looked nice. So nice that almost everyone of us, including me, decided to use an image from that scene on our reviews
When I was trying to decide on an image to use, I wanted to find something different since I knew a lot of people would choose that scene. Obviously I went with it anyway though haha.



Amelie


I was supposed to be watching Jesse James but my wife wants to try it and she's been busy. In the meantime I threw this movie on. I watched it once a couple of years ago, not because I thought I'd like it, but just because it's a beloved movie. Needless to say, I didn't like it. I didn't mind trying it again, but I didn't like it this time either.

Quite simply it's just not my type of movie. It's obviously supposed to be cute and charming, but I just find it annoying. I find the girl annoying and I can't stand her goofy smile. It reminds me of a Wes Anderson movie, a director it took me a while to warm up to. I think the casts that Wes uses was a big factor for me becoming a fan. I didn't care one bit for the cast of Amelie. It also reminded me of some older French movies I didn't care for, movies whose titles are escaping me at the moment. I don't mind the premise but it's fantastical style is often a tough go for me. It's the kind of movie that makes me anxious when I watch it. The cinematography and musical score are top notch, but eventually also became annoying to me. The best part of the movie for me is "fur pie doesn't sell well". Don't get me wrong; I didn't hate the movie as in it didn't piss me off. It's a good nomination as I can see it's mostly doing well. It's obviously of high quality, and it's that high quality that makes me give a generous rating relative to my personal enjoyment.




Women will be your undoing, Pépé
@Miss Vicky





Rush

I have always considered Ron Howard as a Storyteller. I love his movies and admire his ability as a Director for that reason.
With his movies he tells a story. We get involved in that story and those individuals within that story. And, he does not tell the same story nor does he use the same style to tell the variety of stories he has filmed.
From the fantastical sword and sorcery world of Willow to, not only re-creating a beloved childhood story for many of us but, for myself, falling in love with his telling of How the Grinch Stole to Christmas to real life dramas such as Backdraft and Apollo 13 to only name a few.
With each story he adjusts the telling of the story for each and everyone of these specific movies I have mentioned to bring that specific story to life and en-capture its very essence. And thereby, our imagination and our entertainment.

He has does that with Rush.

Incorporating the break-neck speed of a Formula 1 race into the actual narrative of the film.
We are the drivers watching the world of these two men race by. Our focus on the exact here and now as we take the high pin turns of their competitive natures. The only time we slow down is upon those terrible moments of collision.

What is the end result of this?

We watch a racing film without being a fan and thoroughly enjoy it. As I had done with Apollo 13. I appreciate the wonders of space, but I am not an enthusiast of space technology. And yet, any time I have watched Apollo 13, I AM captivated.

While I do not rank this film as one of his ultimate greats, I do, definitely, consider this another great story, from real life, told by an expert storyteller and a d@mn good film. I truly wished I had caught this when it was in the cinema. My god that would have been amazing.

While I do not know the full and complete story of these two race-car drivers, I truly do like how Howard portrays them. Even at the speed of the storytelling, we do see the men beneath. In both their competition AND their respect for one another. Especially in those final minutes of the film and the images used of the real Lauda and Hunt.

BRAVO @neiba for giving me reason to enjoy another excellent story by a favorite storyteller.



Keep your station clean - OR I WILL KILL YOU
Just a heads up: It has been 9 days since @Jay Redrum and @Luis last checked in. I'll send PMs tomorrow evening if they haven't stopped in yet.
Just finished one film as I'm typing this. Review up in an hour or two.





The Aviator (Martin Scorsese, 2004)
Imdb

Date Watched: 10/03/18
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 17th MoFo Hall of Fame, nominated by @rauldc14
Rewatch: Yes.


I've seen this film a few times before and have always liked it, but never considered it a favorite. It's a well made film, but it's definitely not without its flaws.

Firstly, this did not need to be a nearly 3 hour long film. Dude had OCD and a whole s***load of anxieties. We get it. It didn't need to be hammered in to quite that degree. The color scheme. I don't know that it ever bothered me in my previous viewings, but I did find it rather distracting this time around. I'm also not a stickler for historical accuracies, nor am I any kind of expert on the life of Howard Hughes, but I did find a couple of things that they omitted from the story to be pretty glaring - in particular the crash of his Sikorsky S-43 that killed two people.

But there are plenty of strengths as well. I thought the performances were strong and believable. How accurate they were to the real people, I don't know, but I thought they all did quite well for how their characters were written. The story was also entertaining and the depictions of old Hollywood, with the glamorous parties, was quite fun to see. I also found the flying sequences to be exciting and a highlight of the picture.

Overall, my complaints about the film are pretty minor and, despite needing to take a break or two due to the film's length, I had a good time with this.

-



I put my ballot together. Voting was pretty easy for me this time around.
Now just anxiously waiting to see what other people think of my nom.



Keep your station clean - OR I WILL KILL YOU
2/15 Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One in) (2008)

Director: Tomas Alfredson

I am a huge fan of this story, it's just so grounded, realistic, yet somewhat fantastical and tragic. This is not my first time being introduced to this story, I've seen the American remake simply titled Let Me In and that became one of my favorite horror films in recent memory. I didn't know this Swedish film existed before I saw the latter, I was told however that it was even better, so this was definitely a film I was very pleased to see in the Hall of Fame. That being said, both films are both pretty much exactly the same, this one chooses to build most of the tension through wide shots, while the other one favored POV more. I think I love both of them equally.

The story just works on all cylinders, the character arcs are appropriately placed and resolved, the horror is perfectly tied to the heartwarming tale that is the friendship story, it is excellently shot, the atmosphere and setting are genius. Placing this story in the cold, wondrous and beautiful snow really highlights the entire film, the film is cold, wondrous, and beautiful in it's own way. It is very easy to see how much care went into the directing of this flick, not only present through the stylistic choices, the camera angles, and the suspensful sequences, but through the great performances from both young actors. Yes, I am floored with this one and I'm hoping to buy it on Blu-Ray soon to add to my collection. Probably buying both versions to be completely honest, they both have their own strengths. This version's pool scene is superior in every way, yet the american version has an extremely tense car scene that had me on edge the whole time. I'm so happy with both!

SCORE - 94/100